Leader comment: Scottish government secrecy must end

Mr Hamilton tells us the current SNP government risks being seen as "one of the least transparent" in history due to its handling of the so-called Salmond files.

He has of course been engaged in an ongoing legal battle with the Scottish government over information relating to the 2021 investigation into whether Nicola Sturgeon breached the ministerial code. Last week the Scottish government was found to be in contempt over delays to the release of documents.

It is, says Mr Hamilton, “really wearing”.

"All of the [Salmond files] appeals at the moment are very much attacking the office of the Commissioner,” he says. “'We know better, you should basically allow us to get on with it'.

"And that is an arrogant approach, there's no question.”

That is a criticism which has been levelled at the SNP repeatedly over the years, and has of course come back with a vengeance in the wake of the Peter Murrell case.

John Swinney’s “nothing to see here” response has so far followed a familiar script in closing down scrutiny of a matter clearly in the public interest.

There is an opportunity here, at the beginning of a new parliament, to do things differently. To ensure all information is provided in an open and transparent way, and to end both the real and perceived secrecy.

The Scottish Information Commissioner should not need to take the Scottish Government to court. In all ways, the taxpayer loses.

We hope today’s comments from the Information Commissioner will spark a change in direction, and a commitment to openness from SNP ministers.

We fear, of course, that we will instead be following a similar pattern for the next five years.